


PARIS >> Novak Djokovic earned his 100th career French Open victory, a mark surpassed among men only by Rafael Nadal, by overwhelming Cam Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round Monday.
Djokovic hasn’t ceded a set on his way to the quarterfinals this year at Roland-Garros, where he has won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
“I feel good. Every day, I have more expectations about my game, (and with) 12 sets played, 12 sets won, everything is solid and positive,” Djokovic said.
The 38-year-old Serbian had a pair of three-match losing streaks this season but seems to be in top form lately, including collecting his 100th title at the Geneva Open the week before play began in Paris. He also beat Norrie in Geneva.
“He was solid today, and he didn’t give me anything,” Norrie said. “Defending well, serving well, returning well and very sharp.”
Next up for Djokovic is a matchup against No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday for a berth in the semifinals. Zverev advanced Monday when his opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, quit in the second set with an abdominal strain.
“He definitely knows how to play tennis. He definitely knows what it means to be on the big stage and to play big matches,” Zverev said about Djokovic. “There is no doubt about that.”
Djokovic improved to 100-16 at the French Open. Nadal, who retired at the end of last season, went 112-4 while winning a record 14 championships at the clay-court major.
No. 62 Bublik beats No. 5 Draper in 4th round
Alexander Bublik became the first man from Kazakhstan to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament, eliminating No. 5 Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
The 27-year-old Bublik dropped to the court, smudging himself with the red clay, when he finished off the biggest win of his career after about 2 1/2 hours.
“Sometimes in life, there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine and I couldn’t let it slip,” he told the crowd afterward. “Standing here is the best moment of my life. Period.”
Moments later, he joked: “I’m standing here like I won the thing.”
Bublik managed to produce a total of 68 winners, 31 more than the left-handed Draper.
At No. 62, Bublik is the lowest-ranked man to earn a pair of victories at Roland-Garros against opponents ranked in the top 10 since No. 100 Andrei Medvedev in 1999. Bublik came back from a two-set deficit to defeat No. 9 Alex de Minaur in the second round last week.
“I have a certain skill set to play tennis,” Bublik said, “and it worked marvelously today — 100% one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life.”
Draper called himself “incredibly disappointed with the result.”
After reaching his first major semifinal at last year’s U.S. Open, Draper has been having the best season of his career, winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, California, in March and breaking into the top 10 of the rankings. “Didn’t play a bad match. I thought he played incredibly well,” Draper said about Bublik. “He didn’t allow me to play my tennis, I don’t think.”